Piloting a communication app for nurses and family/friends in residential aged care

Background: Effective communication underpins quality therapeutic relationships and the development of trust.Nurses in residential aged care are time-poor, which negatively impacts their ability to communicate consistently with residents' family/friends, a situation detrimental to building effective relationships.The Brenna app (brenna.com.au)aims to facilitate efficient communication and support positive relationships between nurses and aged care residents' family/friends.Aim: To evaluate nurses and family/friends' experience of using the Brenna app.Methods: A quantitative descriptive pilot study was conducted within a 168-bed residential aged care facility in a regional city in New South Wales, Australia.Bespoke online Likert scale surveys were administered between April and May 2024.Results: Family/friends (n = 50) 'agreed' that the Brenna app updates and news announcements were useful, that Brenna was easy to use and helped with clear communication, but they were neutral on Brenna promoting trust and improving their satisfaction with care.Nursing staff (n = 11) 'agreed' or 'strongly agreed' that Brenna was helpful in reducing stress, improving communication, and saving time.Improvements to data entry from nurses would further enhance the family/friends user experience. Conclusion:The study highlights that the use of technology can facilitate improved communication between aged care nurses and residents' family/friends.Some different preferences between nurses and family/friends in the operationalisation of this technology exists.Implications for practice: Nurses found app-based communication to be helpful in improving communication with family members, saving time, and reducing stress.Family/friends identified app-based communication as a useful mechanism for communication in specific situations.